Despite demand, the potential of the renewable energy sectors in these countries is being held back by unstable demand, limited localisation enforcement, deficits in decent job creation and persistent gender biases, according to new reports.
Far too few countries on our continent have seized the opportunity to leverage the growth in renewable energy demand to develop a robust renewables manufacturing sector that has the potential to create decent work.
A series of research reports published by the Institute for Economic Justice and partners, in a four-year, three-country study, show that in countries such as South Africa, Kenya and Ghana, unstable demand coupled with limited localisation enforcement have hampered the potential of these sectors. They also reveal deficits in decent work creation, while gender biases persist, care burdens limit entry, and women remain marginalised.
One of the biggest obstacles is the nature of demand itself. Public procurement has played a central role in stimulating the renewable energy sector in the three countries through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme in South Africa, the Energy Act of 2019 in Kenya and Ghana’s 2021 National Energy Policy as well as the Renewable Energy Act of 2011, as amended in 2020. These programmes, policies and legislation have led to substantial growth in capacity, reaching more than 7GW in South Africa, 5.3GW in Ghana and 2.6GW in Kenya.
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However, intermittent procurement cycles have created uncertainty for investment, expansion…
